Bead chain and splicer for the same



Sept. 18 1923.

- 7 R. R. RUNDELL BEAD CHAIN AND SPLICER FOR THE SAME Filed Au 2. 1922further modifications Patented Sept. 18, 1923.

uUNlTED STATES 1,468,169 PATENT OFFICE.

RAYMOND a. BUNDELL, or ELMIRA, NEW YORK.

' f rm CHAIN Ann SPLICER roa THE SAME.

Application med August 2, 1922. Serial at. 579,224.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAYMOND R. RUN- DELL, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Elmira, in the county of Chemung and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bead Chainsand Splicers for the Same, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to bead chainsand splicers and is moreparticularly adapted to connect together the beads of such'chains,change the length of, or repair bead chains or flexible pull chainswhich are used in operating electric lamp switches and are formed of aseries of perforated hollow metal balls loosely or flexibly connected byshort bars having heads lying within th balls.

The objects of the invention are:

First, to devise a splicer of the charactor above indicated whichissimple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and can be quicklyapplied to the elements in the manufacture of, separation, or extendingor shortenin the length of the present forms of bee on" pull chains.

Second, to devise a splicer which can be emplo ed to insert aninsulating section in an s .the present forms of pull chains.

'lhird, ot er objects and advantages of the invention will appear fromthe detailed description of the construction and relation of its partsand manner of applying the same.

The invention consists of structural charelements which will behereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out-in theappended claims.

Referring to the drawings in whichsimilar reference characters indicatethe same parts in the several figures:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of the invention.

Figures 2, 3,4 and 5am side elevations of modifications of the samegeneral form as shown in Figure 1.

Figures 6, 7 and, 8 are. sectional views of side eleva- ,Figures 9 10,11 and 13 are tions of ad F1gures12 and 14' are illustrations of.modifications which are made of wire. 1

Figure 15 is a fragmentary and "side, eleferent sized balls are utilizedin the itional modifications in which I the shank or middle portion isvaried ularly adapted to apply the splicer in the manufacture of beadchains or repairing broken sections thereof.

Figure 16 is a side elevation partly in sec- U051 of the plier jawsshown in Figure 15, an

Figure 17 is a side elevation partly in section of a bead chain made orspliced with the use of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 1, 20 is the neck or shank portion ofthe splicerwhich isofa double conical form and at each of its ends is provided withapointed barb 21 adapted to be easily and readily insertedthrougli thesplit or perforated sections of hollow .metal sphere or globules 22 (seeFigure 17),

used in the manufacture of metal beads or pull chains, as will behereinafter more fully described.

Figure 2 shows a similar splicer as indicated in Figure 1, except thatthe central or neck portion 23 is spherical, having attached thereto thebarbs 24 at the ends of the short pins or studs 25, 25, as illustrated.i

Figure 3 shows a form similar to Figure 2, except that the barbs 26 and27 are provided respectively with right hand and left hand threadedsections, and can be applied by holding the ball ends'of the beads to bespliced stationary and turning the threaded ends of the splicer into theperforated balls. 2

In Figure 4 is illustrated a form similar to that shown in Figure 2,exceptthat the barbs with their connecting short pins are .made with aslot 28, thereby providing a variable or yielding barb 29 capable ofadjusting itself to different sizes of openings,

perforations or slits in the hollow beads or .balls."

In F igure5 is shown a form having two sizes and which particularlyadapts this arrangement, ofsplicer for use when difmanufacture'of achain.

Figure 6 shows a splicer similar in exterior; appearance andconstruction as shown lIl Figure 2, except the short section is made ofsome insulating material 32, engaged by threadedportions 33, 33 at theinner ends of the barbed rods orstuds and particularly adapts this formfor use when into an insulating chain.

Referring to Figure 7, 38 is a hollow sphere to which is flexibly andshdably secured barbed studs or rods 39 having at their ends within saidsphere 38 enlargements "1'0 to prevent said barbs being detached orwithdrawn from said sphere section and is constructed for purposes w amore flexible connection or sphere is desired than the one-piece typehereinbetore disclosed.

Figure 8 shows a hollow ball all of conventional or stock form havingdouble barbed stud connection with a shoulder i3 to limit its entranceinto said hollow ball.

Figure 9 shows a simple form oisplicer made of wire 35 having pointedbarbed ends while Figure 10 is a type made'o'l similar material andconstruction with barbs 44, 4st, but provided'with a-shoulder 45, whichadapts the same to be automatically fed from a hopper or in a strip whenused in connection with magazine pliers or-automatic machinery.

Figure 11 is of the same general construction as that shown in Figure 9,except thatdificrent sized barbs lti'are superimposed and multiplied andis an adaption of modification of Figure 5 when wire'is only involved inthe construction.

Figure 12 shows a stud having barbed ends and is made of a short pieceof spring brass wiredtl'having its ends turned o"'er or bent back towardthe opposite sides to form barbed ends 48 having a slight yieldingaction towards the wire stud 47.

Figure 13' shows the splicer made of a round wire stud 49 having itsends flattened and pointed to form the barbs 50.

Figure let shows the splicer formed by two pieces of spring wire 51 and52 twisted together and their ends turned back similar to that shown inFigure 12, to "form barbs 53 and 53.

The parts of the splicer being constructed as shown and described, thepreferable manner of applying the same to construct a bead chainis togrip by hand or any suitable tool, two of the pert'oratedor split hollowspheres 22 as shown in Figure 17, so that the perforations-orslits inthe shells of the separated and adjacent hollow spheres 22 are oppositeto each other. e

The splicer, as shown for examplein Figure 2, is then supported orarranged so that the points on the outer ends of the barbs 2e are seatedin the opposite perforations or slits of the adjacent and separatedspheres. arranged as above indicated, said spheres are then forced byslight pressure towards each other until the barbs 24 pass through theperforations and shells into the interior of the hollow spheres andassume the position shown in Figure 17, when the two adjacent hollowspheres are flexibly linked or spliced together; The foregoingoperations are continued until the proper or required length of headchain has been produced. In repairing an old bead chain not constructedwith the present improved form of splicerall that is necessary 18 toremove the old link and substitute the present form of barbed splicerand repeat the steps of splicing previously explained, as will bereadily understood and need no further d-iselosure.

The above described operations of splicing may be expedited andetiiciently carried out by placing one of the hollow spheres 22 in eachof the semi-spherical seats 54, 54, in the pivoted jaws 55, 55 of a pairof pliers, as illustrated in Figures 16 and 17, so that theperforationsor slits in said spheres 22, are opposite each other. The pivoted j aws55, 55 are separated suiiic-iently to permit the pointed ends of thebarbs of a sglicer interposed between the separated and perforatedshells-0t the adjusted spheres to be inserted or seated in theoppositely arranged perforations or slits, when said spheres are forcedtowards each other by partial closing of the jaws 55, 55, such adistance as to force the barbson the end of the splicer through theperforations or slits of the shells into the interior of. the spheresand assume the proper flexibly linking position in the same manner aspreviously explained. If it is desired to restore the spherical shapesof the hollow spheres,

should they bedistorted or spread apart at their perforated sectionsduring the above described splicing operations, said spheres can beadjusted in the seats 54, 54, one at a time at right angles to theposition previously assumed when being spliced and the splicer stubs orsections adjacent to the barbs can be seated or adjusted in theoppositely disposed semi-circular openings 56, 56, in the jaws 55,55, andthe jaws 55, 55, when closed in the position shown in Figures 15 and 16,will properly compress the inserted sphere and return the distortedsections of the shell to their normal or spherical position.

From the foregoing disclosure of the construction of the chain andsplicer and manner of assembling and using the same, it will be seenthat all the objects and advantages recited in the statement ofinvention have been fully and efiiciently carried out.

hat I claim is '1. A head chain comprising a-series of perforated hollowspheres-flexibly connected together by links. each of said links havinga pointed barb at each of its ends so'constructed, arranged and adaptedto be inserted through a perforation of a sphere and retained thereinand against withdrawal after inserted in said sphere by engaging theinner wall of the hollow sphere.

A 2. A bead chaincomprisin a series of perforatedhollow spheres flexi lyconnected together by links, each of said links having an enlarged andpointed terminal at each of its ends so constructed, arranged andadapted to be inserted through a perforation of a sphere and retainedtherein and against withdrawal after inserted in' said sphere by theenlarged section of the pointed terminal abutting against the inner wallof the sphere.

3. A splicer for flexiblyconnectingtos gether a" plurality of perforatedhollo-w-- members consisting of a link having a cen- 4. A splicer forflexibly connecting together a plurality of erforated hollow membersconsisting of a ink having a slotted pointed barb at each of its ends soconstructed, arranged and adapted to be inserted and forced through theperforated section of a member and retained therein and againstwithdrawal after inserted in said member.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a splicer for perforated hollowmembers consisting of a link havin a central spherical portion and apointed slotted section formed with a shoulder at each of its ends soconstructed, arranged andadapted to be insert- .ed throughv theperforated section of a member and retained therein and againstwithdrawal after inserted in said member by said shoulder. I Intestimony whereof, I allix my signature.

RAYMOND R. RUNDELL.

